Onion Crop Research Articles

Survey and Monitoring of Onion Thrips (Thrips tabaci) Lindeman

Thrips is a most important global pest of onion crop they are direct impact of onion yield and quality. The nymph and adult of thrips feed on leaves by piercing and rasping the leaf tissues and causes lengthwise, silvery stippling or blotching on the onion leaves, resulting in the loss of chlorophyll and reduced photosynthetic efficiency. Thrips attack onion at all the stages of crop growth stages but their count increases from bulb initiation and remains high up to bulb development and maturity. Onion thrips can also transmit several plant pathogens in onion crop that reduced onion bulb size and quality. The above surveys objective to evaluate the damage percentage of thrips in onion crops. Survey was conducted during Kharif 2022 and Rabi 2022-23. The maximum thrips damage rating scale of 3(45%) was recorded at 75 DAT in the Kharif season and Rabi season at 75 DAT thrips damage rating scale was recorded at 4 (65%).The survey result show that the thrips population and damage percentage increased due to increased temperature and relative humidity.

Diversity of bees during flowering of onion crops in a xeric envi-ronment

The study of bee species present in agricultural landscapes is necessary to identify potential crop pollina-tors and promote the ecosystem services they provide. Bee community studies are the first step to know the bee species in a given area, as well as their abundance and activity periods. The aim of this research was to identify bee species as potential pollinators of onion crops in a xeric area of Argentina (San Juan province). Specimens were captured with elevated pan traps during flowering of onion crops, and the bee community was characterized by functional traits such as body size, nesting biology, and sociality. Additionally, we stud-ied the period of activity for each species in relation to the peak of onion blossom. Traps collected a total of 1,765 individuals and 55 species/morphospecies of bees were identified, reporting 21 new records for San Juan province. The most abundant species were Apis mellifera L. and two species of Lasioglossum (Dialic-tus) Robertson. The bee community was characterized by a great richness of species of small and very small size, with a preference for nesting below ground and solitary behavior. Among wild bees, genus La-sioglossum Curtis showed a high diversity (richness and abundance) during onion flowering. Future studies are needed to determine their contribution to the pollination of this crop. In this study, we highlight the diver-sity of wild bees present during onion flowering in a xeric environment and its importance for future ecolog-ical, conservation, and pollination studies.

Constraints Faced by the Farmers in the Production and Marketing of Onions in the Western Undulating Zone of Odisha, India

This paper aimed to investigate the limitations associated with onion farming in the western undulating agroclimatic zone of Odisha, specifically regarding production, marketing, and storage. The study employed a multi-stage purposive sampling technique. The state was divided into 10 zones based on agro-climatic characteristics, and the district from the western undulating zone, Kalahandi districts, was purposively chosen since many farmers in these regions, like others in Odisha, cultivate onions throughout the winter season. A total of 90 farmers (45 from Bhawanipatna block and 45 from Golamunda block) were selected at random and interviewed directly for the purpose of study. Furthermore, the location, climatic conditions, and soil are ideal for onion cultivation. Kalahandi was chosen in 2021–2022. According to the survey, labour shortages for weeding, ignorance of improved varieties, high labour costs, ineffective and expensive weedicides, high seed costs, etc. were the top five problems faced by onion growers. The main difficulties faced by onion growers during marketing included low prices during harvest, which were followed by sharp price fluctuations, high transportation costs, payment delays, a lack of market news and information, a lack of storage facilities, etc. in the research area. To ensure an effective produce marketing system, the government, developmental agencies, marketing boards, and NAFED should intervene by enhancing the market infrastructure at the taluk and district levels and supplying timely market information. Farmers may be able to overcome the issue of price fluctuations if government authorities intervene promptly and announce an extension or announcement of the government support price for onion crops.

Analytical study of virtual water trade for potato and onion crops in Egypt

Analytical study of virtual water trade for potato and onion crops in Egypt

Field Studies and the Efficiency of Different Insecticides against Thrips tabaci Lindeman on Onion Crops in Egypt

Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman) ((Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is the major pest attacking onion crops on the Egyptian fields during seasons 2023 and 2024. The total average populations were 652.70 in the first season and 677.33 in the second season, the highest peak were recorded on the 4th week of April with average 110.48 and 99.53. Different insecticides were used to study its effectiveness on thrips as Dinotefuran, acetamiprid, abamectin + thiamethoxam, spirotetramat, spinosad, spintorame, chlorophanpyar, fenopethrin + etoxal and acetamiprid + bifenthrin. After 24 hours all compound recorded the highest reduction than after 3,7 and 10 days, the highest reduction was recorded with spintorame by 97.32±1.36and 96.93±0.96%. On the third day, Spirotetramat recorded the highest reduction by 95.21±1.22and 92.60±2.40%. On the seventh day, chlorophanpyar recorded the highest reduction by 83.52±1.74 and 81.62±2.60%. On the tenth day also chlorophanpyar recorded the highest reduction by 72.40±0.87 and 69.30±1.85%. Chlorophanpyar was recorded the highest overall average by 85.42±5.35and 82.79a±4.60 %.

Integrated effects of furrow irrigation systems and irrigation regimes on water productivity of onion (Allium cepa L.) crop in a semi-arid area

Dwindling water resources with inept field water management impends sustainable agricultural production in semi-arid areas of Ethiopia. Thus, the adaption and adoption of improved irrigation water running lines are indispensable and imperative to recuperate water productivity in areas where water resources are inadequate. The ground experiments were pointed to elucidate the weight of conventional, alternate, and fixed furrow irrigation systems under irrigation levels of 100 %, 70 %, and 40 % of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) on onion growth, yield, water productivity, and economic return in Alage, Central, Ethiopia. The field trials were conducted at nine treatments arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications and water was managed at fixed intervals with variable depth approach. The result illustrated that furrow systems in conjunction with irrigation levels had a weighty pertain (P < 0.05) on onion growth, yield, water productivity, and economic return. The highest yield of 30.75 ton ha−1 was achieved at conventional furrow irrigation with 100%ETc dictated to zero water saving subsequently, the crop and irrigation water productivity dropped with the values of 6.86 and 5.61 kg m−3 respectively. The diminished yield of 6.39 ton ha−1 obtained at fixed furrow irrigation with 40%ETc conquered the saved water output lastly, the crop and irrigation water productivities demoted with values of 6.87 and 5.70 kg m−3 respectively. Nevertheless, 24.93ton ha−1 of ideal yield was obtained under alternative furrow irrigation with 100%ETc and the 50 % hoarded water was higher than the yield decline. Consequently, the crop and irrigation water productivities rose with values of 10.96 and 9.09 kg m−3 respectively. Eventually, the saved water opened for 0.03ha extra irrigable area that will onward to the highest total expected yield of 37.40 ton ha−1 as compared with all other treatments. Under conventional furrow irrigation with 100%ETc, the obtained yield dominated the wastewater accordingly, the highest net return of 668484ETB ha−1 and benefit-cost ratio of 3.63 was achieved. Besides, the unbearable yield penalty under fixed furrow with 40 % headed to negative net return and lowest befit cost ratio as related with other treatments. However, further economic results confirmed that the 50 % saved water under alternative furrow with 100 % can recompense for the net return reduction that will make this trial combination preferable as compared with other treatments. Other results also recommended that, under water-limiting and inefficient field water governing conditions, alternative furrow irrigation with 100%ETc can be the ideal blend to enhance water productivity in semi-arid regions of Ethiopia and elsewhere that share similar agroclimatic conditions.

Field Studies and the Efficiency of Different Insecticides against Thrips tabaci Lindeman on Onion Crops in Egypt

Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman) ((Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is the major pest attacking onion crops on the Egyptian fields during seasons 2023 and 2024. The total average populations were 652.70 in the first season and 677.33 in the second season, the highest peak were recorded on the 4th week of April with average 110.48 and 99.53. Different insecticides were used to study its effectiveness on thrips as Dinotefuran, acetamiprid, abamectin + thiamethoxam, spirotetramat, spinosad, spintorame, chlorophanpyar, fenopethrin + etoxal and acetamiprid + bifenthrin. After 24 hours all compound recorded the highest reduction than after 3,7 and 10 days, the highest reduction was recorded with spintorame by 97.32±1.36and 96.93±0.96%. On the third day, Spirotetramat recorded the highest reduction by 95.21±1.22and 92.60±2.40%. On the seventh day, chlorophanpyar recorded the highest reduction by 83.52±1.74 and 81.62±2.60%. On the tenth day also chlorophanpyar recorded the highest reduction by 72.40±0.87 and 69.30±1.85%. Chlorophanpyar was recorded the highest overall average by 85.42±5.35and 82.79a±4.60 %.

Characterization of garlic virus A, garlic virus D, and onion yellow dwarf virus infecting onion

Background: Allium cepa is one of the major vegetable crops cultivated in Saudi Arabia. This economically important crop faces several biotic stresses which adversely affect the quality and quantity of its production. Several virus groups (potyviruses, carlaviruses, tospoviruses, and allexiviruses) have been reported infecting Allium crops.Methods: During the growing season of 2021-2022, a total of 81 onion samples exhibiting virus-like symptoms were collected from two different geographical regions in Saudi Arabia. The serological technique (ELISA) was used to detect the important allexiviruses and potyviruses. RT-PCR amplification of partial genome sequence was done using degenerate primers for allexiviruses and potyviruses and the phylogenetic trees were constructed using different bioinformatic tools.Results: The results obtained from ELISA tests showed that 26% and 32% of onion samples were positive with both Garlic Virus A (GarV-A) and Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV) respectively. RT-PCR amplification and sequencing results showed that two allexiviruses, GarV-A, garlic virus D (GarV-D), and one Potyvirus (OYDV) were detected in both regions. Sequence data were deposited in the GenBank database with accession numbers, OQ397545, OQ397546 for GarV-A, OQ397547 for GarV-D, and OQ397548, OQ397549 for OYDV, sequentially. Phylogenetic tree analysis of these virus isolates showed making clades with closely related isolates of their respective viruses. Pairwise nucleotide sequence identity showed their similarity with GarV-A, GarV-D, and OYDV isolates reported earlier in the GenBank.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, these two distinct allexiviruses (GarV-A, GarV-D) and one Potyvirus (OYDV) were isolated for the first time from an onion crop in Saudi Arabia.Keywords: Allexiviruses; Potyviruses; Serological Detection; Allium cepa; RT-PCR; Sequence

Evaluation of Bioagents against Stemphylium vesicarium Inducing Stemphylium Blight in Onions (Allium cepa L.)

Stemphylium blight of onion incited by S. vesicarium is one of the economically important diseases, causing severe yield losses in onion crop. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate efficacy of different bioagents against S. vesicarium under in vitro conditions. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications per treatment. Five fungal biocontrol agents viz., Trichoderma harzianum, T. viride, T. hamatum, T. virens and a fungal consortium from MPKV, Rahuri along with two bacterial biocontrol agents namely Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis were evaluated for their effectiveness against S. vesicarium. The results showed significant variation in the inhibitory effects of bioagents on the mycelial growth of the test pathogen with percent growth inhibition ranging between 53.70 to 85.19 per cent. T. harzianum was reported to be most effective, showing a minimum colony diameter of 13.33 mm with the highest growth inhibition (85.19%) thus reported as superior to all other treatments whereas, Pseudomonas fluorescens was reported with a least percent growth inhibition (53.70%).

Possibility of introducing quinoa to the Egyptian’s cropping structure by intercropping with onion crop.

Possibility of introducing quinoa to the Egyptian’s cropping structure by intercropping with onion crop.

Potential of Trichoderma strains to positively modulate plant growth processes and bulb yield in Rabi onion

The use of beneficial microbes is hitherto known and constantly increasing in agriculture due to their positive impact on crop growth and yield, and their minimal negative impact on the environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of eight Trichoderma strains of diverse origin on crop growth and yield of onion under field conditions. The identity of the strains used in the current study was confirmed by ITS and Tef1 gene sequencing. Field experiments were conducted in the Rabi season for 2 years (2020–21, and 2022–23) to evaluate the effect of the application of eight different Trichoderma strains that were applied individually and separately as eight different treatments (T1–T8) in experimental plots. In the plant growth promotion assay conducted in vitro, all strains showed the ability to produce IAA (indole-3-acetic acid), with levels ranging from 23.52 μg/mL (T6) to 45.54 μg/mL (T3). Our results revealed that Trichoderma treated experimental plots displayed better growth indices (plant height, pseudostem diameter), RWC (Relative water content), leaf chlorophyll content, and yield-attributing features like biomass (bulb and root dry mass), bulb diameter, and harvested bulb yield compared to the untreated control plants. In terms of yield, the T2 strain exhibited the highest bulb yield consistently for both the years (2020–21 and 2022–23) followed by T3 being statistically at par with T5. Among all the evaluated Trichoderma strains, the strain T2 (OGRDT2) and T3 (GRDT1), taxonomically identified as Trichoderma longibrachiatum, registered bulb yield of 32.24 t/ha and 30.76 t/ha, respectively while T5 (GRDT3), identified as Trichoderma asperellum, registered 30.55 t/ha average yield for 2 years compared to 24.08 t/ha average yield recorded for untreated control plants with an increase of 34, 28 and 27%, respectively. Based on our findings, it is concluded that the T. longibrachiatum strains OGRDT2 (T2) and GRDT1 (T3), T. asperellum strain GRDT3 (T5) are the best inducers of the onion crop growth and yield in the Rabi season and would be explored further for its commercial application in onion farming.

Economic and marketing efficiency of onion crop in Egypt

Economic and marketing efficiency of onion crop in Egypt

Development of a hand tractor powered de-topper cum digger for onion crop

Development of a hand tractor powered de-topper cum digger for onion crop

Exploiting Soybean and Flaxseed Meal Byproducts as Safe Weed Management Approaches in Onion Field

The intensive and repeated use of chemical herbicides has led to the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds, which, in addition to their environmental impacts, also pose significant threats to human and animal health. This study aimed to explore the potential of oilseed industrial wastes, specifically soybean and flaxseed meals, as safe and environmentally friendly bioherbicides for controlling weeds associated with onion crops. Two field experiments were conducted along two successive winter of 2020/21 and 2021/22. Treatments involved foliar spray of soybean and flaxseed meals in three different concentrations (15, 30 and 45%), mulching of seed meals, oxyfluorfen herbicide, two hand hoeing and untreated weedy check. The findings demonstrated that all weed control treatments significantly reduced weed density, biomass and nutrient uptake. Two hand hoeing, oxyfluorfen herbicide and the mulching of soybean and flaxseed meals alternated in the top rank for weed control, showing minimal significant differences among them. Following these effective treatments, soybean meal extracts at 45 and 30% exhibited notable weed control compared to the weedy check. The greatest enhancement in onion growth, yield characteristics and bulb quality was observed with the application of hand hoeing, soybean and flaxseed meal mulching treatments, with no significant differences between them. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) fractionation of both meals identified various phenolic acids at different concentrations. Practically, these safe efficient treatments proved progress on chemical herbicide. Hence, onion farmers are advised to apply soybean and flaxseed meals mulching safe treatments as alternative to harmful chemical herbicides under all experimental conditions.

PlanteSaine: An Artificial Intelligent Empowered Mobile Application for Pests and Disease Management for Maize, Tomato, and Onion Farmers in Burkina Faso

This study presents PlanteSaine, a novel mobile application powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) models explicitly designed for maize, tomato, and onion farmers in Burkina Faso. Agriculture in Burkina Faso, like many developing nations, faces substantial challenges from plant pests and diseases, posing threats to both food security and economic stability. PlanteSaine addresses these challenges by offering a comprehensive solution that provides farmers with real-time identification of pests and diseases. Farmers capture images of affected plants with their smartphones, and PlanteSaine’s AI system analyzes these images to provide accurate diagnoses. The application’s offline functionality ensures accessibility even in remote areas with limited Internet connectivity, while its messaging feature facilitates communication with agricultural authorities for guidance and support. Additionally, PlanteSaine includes an emergency alert mechanism to notify farmers about pest and disease outbreaks, enhancing their preparedness to deal with these threats. An AI-driven framework, featuring an image feature extraction phase with EfficientNetB3 and an artificial neural network (ANN) classifier, was developed and integrated into PlanteSaine. The evaluation of PlanteSaine demonstrates its superior performance compared to baseline models, showcasing its effectiveness in accurately detecting diseases and pests across maize, tomato, and onion crops. Overall, this study highlights the potential of PlanteSaine to revolutionize agricultural technology in Burkina Faso and beyond. Leveraging AI and mobile computing, PlanteSaine provides farmers with accessible and reliable pest and disease management tools, ultimately contributing to sustainable farming practices and enhancing food security. The success of PlanteSaine underscores the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in addressing pressing challenges in global agriculture

Development of a sequential sampling plan for classifying Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) populations in onion fields.

Onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, is a global pest of onion crops, causing substantial economic damage by diminishing bulb yields and transmitting plant pathogens. Insecticides are used to manage T. tabaci infestations with control decisions traditionally based on action thresholds that require visually counting thrips on a fixed, predetermined number of onion plants per field. However, this approach for treatment decisions is inefficient when thrips populations are well above or below the action threshold. The aim of this research was to develop a sequential sampling plan that would provide a rapid and reliable classification of thrips populations in commercial onion fields above or below prespecified management thresholds. The study was conducted in a total of 24 commercial onion fields in New York in 2021 and 2022. Taylor's power law and Wald's Sequential Probability Ratio Test were used in concert to develop each sampling plan. Simulated and historical field data of thrips populations were used to further validate the efficacy of each sampling plan. Results demonstrated the sequential sampling plan required an average of 78% fewer samples to make a control decision compared with the traditional fixed-sampling approach. Treatment decisions were reached in 72% of cases after inspecting only 10 plants, while only 6% of the cases required examining more than 25 plants. Comparisons with fixed-sample sizes ranging from 23 to 68 plants revealed a 96% agreement in decision-making and a 78% reduction in sampling effort when using the sequential sampling plans.

Comparative efficacy of five insecticides against key insect pests of dry-season onion (Allium cepa L.) in Meskine, Far North Cameroon

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of five insecticides for controlling the primary insect pests of dry-season onions in Meskine, Far North of Cameroon. The goal was to identify the insecticide that ensures a better yield for late-transplanted dry-season onion crops. To achieve this objective, a trial was conducted using a completely randomized experimental block design, with six treatments replicated three times. The treatments consisted of Cypercal (Cypermethrin 120 g/L, Profenofos 600 g/L), Neem oil solution + Neem cake (Azadirachtin), Optimal (Acetamiprid 200 g/Kg), Pacha (Lambda-cyhalothrin 15 g/L, Acetamiprid 10 g/L), Rapax (Bacillus thuringiensis), and a control. Applications of the treatments were carried out using an ULVA sprayer on the leaves between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Observations focused on growth and yield parameters, which were evaluated based on the various treatments applied. Data collected were analyzed using STATGRAPHIC Centurion XVI.I software at a 5% significance rate. Results showed that among the four insect species recorded on the leaves, thrips were the most prevalent, constituting 33.37% of the total population, followed by caterpillars (23.82%), aphids (22.32%), and locusts (20.48%). The analysis of variance revealed that among the growth parameters, only plant height was significantly affected by the application of the different insecticides. The highest marketable bulb yield was achieved with Cypercal, yielding 13.53 tons per hectare, compared to the control’s 6 tons per hectare. Consequently, Cypercal has been identified as an effective alternative to Optimal, which is commonly used by growers to enhance yields of this dry-season crop.

Forecasting Rainfall in Planting Onion Crops in Brebes District, Brebes District Using Holt-Winters Exponential Smoothing

Forecasting Rainfall in Planting Onion Crops in Brebes District, Brebes District Using Holt-Winters Exponential Smoothing

Design and development of a detopping mechanism for onion detopping machine

Onion detopping is one of the unit operations involved in the cultivation of onion crop. Manual onion detopping is time consuming and highly drudgery. Therefore, an onion detopping machine was designed and developed for higher efficiency. An efficient detopping mechanism designed to achieve the maximum performance parameters in terms of detopping efficiency, per cent damage of onion bulbs and capacity of the onion detopping machine. By considering the crop parameters and functional requirement, four types of shearing designs of detopping tool namely, lead screw, square shaft with two cutting edges, square shaft with four cutting edges and helical roller were designed, developed and evaluated. Among four different shearing mechanisms, the helical roller type detopping tool was found to be effective in detopping the onion leaves. The helical roller type detopping tool had a detopping efficiency (98.44±1.07%), per cent damage (2.05±0.45%), conveying efficiency (97.60±1.02 %) and capacity (372.60±13.95 kg/h), respectively

Design and development of a detopping mechanism for onion detopping machine

Onion detopping is one of the unit operations involved in the cultivation of onion crop. Manual onion detopping is time consuming and highly drudgery. Therefore, an onion detopping machine was designed and developed for higher efficiency. An efficient detopping mechanism designed to achieve the maximum performance parameters in terms of detopping efficiency, per cent damage of onion bulbs and capacity of the onion detopping machine. By considering the crop parameters and functional requirement, four types of shearing designs of detopping tool namely, lead screw, square shaft with two cutting edges, square shaft with four cutting edges and helical roller were designed, developed and evaluated. Among four different shearing mechanisms, the helical roller type detopping tool was found to be effective in detopping the onion leaves. The helical roller type detopping tool had a detopping efficiency (98.44±1.07%), per cent damage (2.05±0.45%), conveying efficiency (97.60±1.02 %) and capacity (372.60±13.95 kg/h), respectively